


Photographs

by ericopter



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M, Shownu is an assassin and kihyun isnt, Slow Burn, shownu isnt a stalker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:08:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22771498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericopter/pseuds/ericopter
Summary: Hyunwoo finally finds the boy who has been plaguing his curiosity for the longest time.
Relationships: Son Hyunwoo | Shownu/Yoo Kihyun
Comments: 3
Kudos: 49





	Photographs

_4 a.m._ The best part of Kihyun’s day. He is halfway through his workshift. The restaurant he worked at was tucked away in the hidden alleys of the business district, surrounded mostly by office buildings. The work from now until his shift ends at 8 am consists of preparing the mise en place for the restaurant to use later that day. On busier days, the owner or her son worked with him, but today he was alone. He loved it. There were lots to do but the work was manageable, and he could play his own playlist.

The sun was just rising, and the temperature was pleasant and still bearable for the summer. He started singing along to the music. The open window carried the breeze and the scent of linen. ‘ _Weird’_ he thought _‘Why does it smell like fresh laundry?’_. The faint smell of linen reminded him of a childhood memory of his mom folding laundry while humming. He shook his head. He must really be exhausted to be conjuring up the image of his mom.

He starts humming the same tune his mom liked to hum. Kihyun liked to sing. He had a lovely voice but really no opportunity to display it; Nor did he want to display it. Singing was a world so far removed from his own that he didn’t even consider it as a viable option for a livelihood. He knew that the entirety of his small world was exactly this: a lifetime of hard work. He was content with that. Thrice a week, he worked a part time job in a café and occasionally, he would get the odd photography gig here and there. Juggling two jobs could get hard most times and the pay weren’t the greatest, but he liked where he is in life right now.

He stopped humming when he heard something shuffling from the back alley.

The sound of one of the bins and its contents hitting the floor. “Hello?” he called out as he walked out the back door into the back alley. The bottle recycling bin and some bottles were scattered on the floor. It must have been a stray cat. He sighed, picked up the mess.

He looked around the alley and paused. The misplaced scent of linen was stronger out here.

“No time to hallucinate.” He reproached himself and went back in to the hundred other things he had to do today.

The temperature was slowly but surely rising, and the scent of linen was getting faint, but it was very pleasant, so Kihyun decided against closing the door. It wasn’t like there were people around. He would even welcome the stray dog or cat if it decides to show itself.

* * *

_0430 -_ An odd time for Hyunwoo to be out, but he has worked odder hours before. Today wasn’t exactly work. It was a curiosity that his inquisitive mind couldn’t put to rest.

Tucked away hidden in his father’s study was a box filled with past assignments. There, sandwiched in between casefiles, was a manila envelope containing three pictures. Each one inscribed on the back simply with “Kihyun” and the date it was taken.

His parents never outright prohibited him to enter the study but Hyunwoo knew when he discovered the box that it wasn’t meant for him. Every now and again he would sneak into the room and peak at the photographs.

He finally found him – Kihyun. The boy looked slightly older and much thinner than the faded picture he stole from his father’s study.

‘ _What’s so special about him anyway?_ ’ He thought.

It took him eight months. The problem was that Kihyun kept a low profile. Most people used social media to air out their lives, but Kihyun didn’t. It wasn’t just an online presence that was lacking, the boy mostly kept to himself. By the sixth month of searching, Hyunwoo was getting desperate and finally asked his not-so-approving friend, Hyungwon, to help with the search.

He peeked through the window. Kihyun had his back to him. He was humming something. Hyunwoo couldn’t clearly hear or see what he was doing and so he tried to get a better view but accidentally nudged one of the bins lined up in the back alley.

“Hello?” He heard Kihyun call from inside the kitchen.

Hyunwoo groaned inwardly, _‘Rookie move’_ he thought to himself. He pushed the bin closest to the door on the ground and swiftly moved away to hide further down the alley.

He heard Kihyun tidy the bin up. From his hiding spot, he quickly peeked whether he went back in or not. The boy just stood by the door. He couldn’t stop covertly watching Kihyun despite all the training drilled into him. What was Kihyun doing? Was he sniffing the air? He watched on, unable to look away. He saw Kihyun mumble something to himself. If only he was a bit closer, he could catch what his voice sounds like. He continued to watch Kihyun’s small silhouette make his way back inside and couldn’t help the smile spread across his face.

* * *

_7:30 a.m. –_ “Kihyunnie” a call from the front pulled him out of a trance.

“Hey hyung. How are you?” He greeted the owner’s son. As much as he enjoys his own company, its nice having someone to talk to. It’s been a long shift.

“Kihyunnie,” Hoseok smiled at him “You can go home now.”

Kihyun stopped peeling the onion he was holding and looked at Hoseok. “Are you ok, hyung?”

“Yes, perfectly. Thanks.” Hoseok walked towards the sink to wash his hands “I’m just saying you can go home 30 minutes early. Don’t worry, I won’t tell mom.” Hoseok reassured Kihyun.

“But –” Kihyun protested.

“It’s fine. Go. go. I can handle this.” Hoseok grabbed the paring knife from Kihyun and shooed him away. He could see that Kihyun was preparing to argue. “It’s just today though. No exceptions.”

“Thank you, hyung. I really appreciate it” Kihyun said, he gave in. He was exhausted and there was no use being stubborn. He removed his apron, instructed Hoseok what was left to do, and got ready to leave.

On his way out, Hoseok called him, “Kihyun-ah.”

He turned to Hoseok, expectant.

Hoseok walked up to him and lightly pinched his cheek, “You did well today.”

“ohh…” Kihyun was taken slightly aback. “Thanks, hyung... you too.” He awkwardly waved at a smiling Hoseok and went out the front door.

* * *

Hyunwoo looked at his watch: _0740._ He doesn’t know why he was still hanging around. He only meant to confirm that the kid in the photo is in fact the kid working in the restaurant. Hyunwoo found a more comfortable spot by the alley where he watched Kihyun and his muscular coworker. He couldn’t quite hear their conversation but Kihyun looked very pleased with what his coworker saying. They seemed close.

 _Shit_. Kihyun was heading out; he needed to quickly move from his spot if he wanted to follow Kihyun. He jogged down the alley turning into the main road, luckily, Kihyun was just half a block ahead of him. He slowed down and kept pace with Kihyun whilst mentally questioning his odd behaviour. What was he doing? He only meant to have a quick look. Why was he following him home?

He put on an air of disinterest like a man already exhausted before his workday even started, but he was intently watching Kihyun move through the streets. He tailed loads of people before, and this shouldn’t be any different. Somehow, he couldn’t shake the feeling of being so invested in the smaller figure ahead of him.

Kihyun walked on, away from the taller buildings of the business district and into the smaller intertwining backstreets. The mismatch of shorter commercial buildings and housing slowly woke up, prepping for a bustling day ahead. He expertly navigated through the streets and its corners and made a beeline into a small neighbourhood bakery. Hyunwoo scouted the size of the interior of the bakery and decided to stay outside, pretending to look at the postings one door down keeping the view of the bakery within periphery.

He slowly kept inching closer to the bakery, finally had a close look at Kihyun.

He was… pretty. Something about his face didn’t quite translate well into the photos. In person, he glowed. Hyunwoo wanted to keep looking at him.

He saw Kihyun promptly pay for his purchase and walk towards the exit. _Fuck me._ Everything was in slow-mo. He had to think fast. He couldn’t think of anything, so he walked into the bakery, bumping into Kihyun on his way out.

Kihyun smelled nice. Like a pleasant summer breeze or a refreshing sip of lemonade on a hot day.

Hyunwoo bowed his sorry, which Kihyun returned, and he queued up for the cashier, hoping Kihyun keeps the same pace as he did earlier. He looked at his watch: _0840_ and then quickly looked behind him. Kihyun walked straight onwards. _Shit._ He was going to lose him at the glacial pace the bakery staff were helping the customers in line. He walked out of the bakery as quickly as he walked in. Thankfully, Kihyun seemed unaware of the mental battle happening in his head and simply walked on with a small box of bakery goods on hand. He briskly walked a little just to keep a few paces behind Kihyun. He smiled to himself, relieved.

* * *

_8:25am_ – The walk back home from work was always a drag; he’d normally take the bus but today was special. The bakery on the way home would be open by now. He was tired, his legs were aching. The odd break in his routine was nice, though. He found himself humming.

Kihyun turned the corner, walked inside the bakery and quickly glanced at pastries on display. His mom’s favourite shone brighter than the rest.

He smiled.

He wasn’t terribly optimistic, but today was turning out to be a great day.

“Hello, dear. what can I get you?” The baker’s wife asked. He wasn’t a regular patron, but he could see the baker’s wife recognized him. He liked her, she always slipped an extra bun in his bags whenever he dropped by. _Omega solidarity,_ he thought. “Yes, can I have that please?”. He pointed at the strawberry shortcake.

“That’s all for you?” she asked, as she put something else in the cake box. She looked up at him and could see that he was going to refuse the extra pastry. “It’s just a little something. Our seasonal offering, dear.” She assured him and charged him only for the cake in the till.

“Thank you. Always.”

“Of course, dear.”

On the way out, he bumped into someone and he mumbled his sorry, at the same time, chastised himself for being oblivious to his surroundings. He was tired, made a quick mental note of squeezing in a power nap before his evening shift at the cafe.

He headed home while the neighbourhood around him bustled with activity. As people started their day, his was halfway done. It brightened his mood somehow.

His home was the rooftop suite in one of the few 3-story apartment buildings left. A remnant from an older time. Slowly, gentrification crept into the area. His landlord was an elderly beta bachelor that rented the rooftop apartment to Kihyun four and a half years ago initially to help the omega kid out. He hoped that he would keep his rent the same or at least reasonable. He felt awful for imposing on the man’s good nature but really couldn’t afford to live anywhere near his workplace. 

He walked into his home, quickly changing out of his work clothes. Despite owning very few things, it took him a while to find the only lighter in the house. With hands full, he walked back out into foyer. His place got the full brunt of morning sun and by midday the inside often felt as hot as a sauna during the summer months.

He very gently put the framed picture of his mom down on the table. Normally, he'd talk to her picture, tell her about his day, his worries, even mundane things like the weather. It helped him feel less alone, like he wasn't trudging through life by himself. Mostly, he believes that she had a hand in everything good happening to him and wanted her to know that he appreciated her guidance…even if its from afar. Today, though, he wanted to set everything out perfectly before he resumed his daily chat with her. 

Kihyun slowly lifted the cake out of the box and put the candle on. Before he could light it, he looked over at the frame and could see that the sun's glare reflecting on the plastic covering. Apologetic, he moved her picture, as if she could feel the sun beaming down on her. When everything was rearranged and positioned to his liking, he lit the single candle on the slice of cake. He sat across from his mom, sandwiching the cake in between them. Invoking all the fond memories he associated with strawberry shortcake: modest celebrations with her, her sing-song laughter, her singing happy birthday.

He said “Happy Birthday, Mama” so softly it came out barely as a whisper.

He said a prayer and blew out the candle.

_Yes, today was going to be a great day._

* * *

His training forced him to make a quick scope of the area; there was no one around. His phone vibrated in his pocket. _0915:_ A call from Hyungwon.

If he wasn’t crouching in the staircase leading to the rooftop, he would’ve laughed; his friend had impeccable timing as always.

“I am shocked and impressed that you are up this early in the morning.” He whispered into the phone.

“Why thank you…but why are you deflecting? Also, whispering. Where are you?”

“Out,” he mumbled. He needed to keep this conversation brief, wanting to find a place with a better vantage point of Kihyun’s place. He assessed the identical building across from Kihyun’s.

“You were so excited. Well???” he yawned his question.

“Well, what?”

“I thought you finally found your boy”

“Not my boy.” Hyunwoo corrected, “but yes I found him.”

“And?” Hyungwon asked, getting impatient.

“I’ll call you later”

“Wait! No, Hyun-”

He put the phone down as soon as he saw Kihyun walk back out with the pastry box in one hand and what looked like a frame on the other. The younger man sat on the low table. He was becoming incredibly familiar with Kihyun’s back. He needed a better view, quickly ran down the staircase, heading towards the building across. He ran up the 3 flights of stairs until he was in the rooftop directly facing Kihyun’s. The younger man mumbled something; his small figure crouched over what Hyunwoo assumed is a cake.

He saw Kihyun clasp his hands in prayer. Suddenly, he felt ashamed, the blush on his face burned slightly but he couldn’t blame the physical exertion. What was he doing stalking a man? Guilt washed over him. He didn’t quite understand what happened but knew that he saw something he shouldn’t have.

He walked back down the staircase slower this time.

**Author's Note:**

> hello,  
> im not sure if im going to continue with switching between shownu and kihyun's POV for the later chapters. please let mknow if this style is hard to follow.
> 
> also, please let me know what those korean low tables are called. the ones where they sit, sleep and even eat on. its usually outdoors. Its prevalent in the countryside or rooftop housing.
> 
> it's safe to assume that i dont know what im doing at all times so let me know what i can improve on.
> 
> thanks


End file.
